U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) Cut to Strong Sell at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded U.S. Physical Therapy (USPH) from a "hold" to a "strong sell," even though the consensus of analysts remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $101.67, highlighting divided analyst sentiment.
• USPH beat revenue estimates with $202.73M and reported EPS of $0.67 (in line), with revenue up 12.3% year-over-year, yet the stock trades around $71.29 and carries a high P/E of 50.2 and a $1.08B market cap.
• Insiders (the COO and EVP) sold shares in March reducing their holdings, while several large institutional investors recently built or increased stakes, signaling mixed insider versus institutional positioning.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on USPH. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 target price on shares of U.S. Physical Therapy in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded U.S. Physical Therapy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, U.S. Physical Therapy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $101.67.

U.S. Physical Therapy Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of USPH opened at $71.29 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. U.S. Physical Therapy has a 1 year low of $66.67 and a 1 year high of $93.50. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $77.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $80.19. The firm has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.35.

U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67. U.S. Physical Therapy had a net margin of 5.07% and a return on equity of 8.75%. The business had revenue of $202.73 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $200.10 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. The company's revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that U.S. Physical Therapy will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at U.S. Physical Therapy

In other U.S. Physical Therapy news, COO Graham D. Reeve sold 662 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.86, for a total value of $52,205.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 30,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,371,951.08. The trade was a 2.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Binstein sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.64, for a total transaction of $244,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,030,141.88. This represents a 10.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On U.S. Physical Therapy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of USPH. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy during the third quarter worth about $29,381,000. American Century Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy during the third quarter worth about $21,940,000. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. grew its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 47.6% during the third quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 474,688 shares of the company's stock worth $40,325,000 after acquiring an additional 153,054 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 77.2% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 317,200 shares of the company's stock worth $26,946,000 after acquiring an additional 138,194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy by 45.9% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 364,253 shares of the company's stock worth $29,603,000 after acquiring an additional 114,618 shares during the last quarter.

U.S. Physical Therapy Company Profile

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc NYSE: USPH is a leading owner and operator of outpatient physical therapy clinics across the United States. The company delivers rehabilitative care to patients recovering from orthopedic injuries, neurological disorders and chronic conditions. Its core services include one-on-one physical therapy sessions, aquatic therapy, occupational therapy, massage therapy and sports medicine programs designed to restore mobility and enhance quality of life.

In addition to traditional rehabilitation services, U.S.

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